BEST PRACTICES FOR CLASSROOM BRAIN BREAKS

In my last post, I shared the two main types of brain breaks—movement breaks and quiet breaks—and when to use each. Now let’s look more specifically at frequently asked questions on carrying out brain breaks.

Who should take brain breaks?

Brain breaks can be taken by the entire class or by individuals. All children need brain breaks, so having whole-class breaks is important for learning. The frequency of these is discussed in the next question. However, some children, particularly those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), may need more frequent brain breaks. In that case, individual brain breaks may be needed just for those children. The teacher should instruct the children ahead of time how to carry brain breaks out on their own and then discreetly signal those children to take brain breaks when the teacher observe the children losing focus and becoming restless. As the students become older and better able to monitor themselves, they should be taught to self-initiate brain breaks when they feel the need for them. Students may be given “brain break passes” to hand to the teacher at those times, or simply discreetly signal the teacher when they need breaks.

How frequently do students need brain breaks?

As a rule of thumb, you can determine the approximate attention span of your students by multiplying their chronological age by two or three, with the resulting number being in minutes. So a class of four-year-olds would have an attention span of 8-12 minutes. A class of ten-year-olds could have an attention span of 20-30 minutes. However, I recommend erring on the shorter side of those ranges, mostly thinking in terms of simply doubling the chronological age. For students with ADHD, the time could be considerably shorter.

Taking breaks consistently after a certain number of minutes of instruction is referred to as having interval breaks. Some teachers set a timer each time instruction begins, and when the timer goes off, a brain break follows. This is probably easiest to do during study times, as opposed to during lessons, but can be used either way.

Students with ongoing attention challenges can be taught to take interval breaks. For example, a plan can be developed in advance allowing the student to take a brain break after completing half of each assignment, or after reading a certain number of pages in a reading book. This plan would be customized for each student’s needs and should be in writing for the student’s and teacher’s reference.

How do I make sure student behavior doesn’t get out of control during brain breaks?

How to take brain breaks, like other school skills, needs to be taught to students. The teacher will need to instruct the students on how to carry out each type of activity, whether a movement activity or a quiet activity, before the students carry it out the first time.

Once the students have been instructed in how to carry out the activity, tell them how much time they will have. Brain breaks should generally last 1-5 minutes. Set a timer for the students; a large visual timer, placed where all the students can see the amount of time left, works best. Instruct students in advance that as soon as the timer goes off, they will need to stop immediately. Even the idea of stopping immediately may need to be practiced in advance.

While the students are doing the brain break activity, be sure to monitor the room carefully. If a student is getting too wild, gently prompt the student to return to doing the activity as directed. If a student has difficulty carrying out the activity, look for a way to simplify it for that student.

Finally, as much as possible, keep brain breaks optional. If a student is does not want to do the activity chosen for a particular brain break, allow the student to opt out. This can be done by determining in advance a signal for students to tell the teacher that they are opting out. However, before opening this option, share with the students, at a level they can understand, why brain breaks are important for them to do well in school. Encourage them all to participate so that they can enjoy school more and do their best!